Hand in Hand with the Community in Williams Lake
Williams Lake is a city in the Central Interior of British Columbia, 620 km from Vancouver, in the central part of a region known as the Cariboo.
Early in the morning, the routine begins for those who work at The Salvation Army’s Williams Lake Corp. “We run five days a week, Monday to Friday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.. We serve breakfast and lunch Monday to Friday… We have many volunteers who help with that,” describes Lieutenant Jessica Hoeft, Corps Officer in Williams Lake.
The dynamic continues at the location during the whole day. The team focuses on specific activities during the day, including providing food through the Food Bank, Share Shelf and Camps.
Lieutenant Jessica Hoeft details how food distribution works at the Corp. “We operate three food distribution programs: Food Bank, Shared Shelf, and the Food Basket Program. First, we are the registered food bank in Williams Lake and our distributions are on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 1 a.m. to 3 p.m. Second, we have a program called Shared Shelf, where we distribute fresh produce, breads, baked goods daily, and extra items that we don’t include in the food baskets. And finally, we also have the Food Basket Program, where we distribute food monthly to those in need.”
“It is a real testament to this dedicated prayerful space, that the Spirit of God can move in powerful ways.” – Lieutenant Jessica Hoeft, Corps Officer in Williams Lake.
Corp Officers Lieutenant Nathanael Hoeft and Jessica Hoeft point out that in recent years demand for both programs has increased, but this has happened in parallel with a decrease in monetary and food donations.
“The lower volume of donations has a big impact, fortunately, we have great partnerships with local supermarkets, who provide us with produce daily,. If the supermarkets can’t sell something, we take it, evaluate it according to the Food Bank of Canada standards, and distribute it to our guests. If the produce isn’t good, we partner with local farmers to collect the food waste, striving to be a zero-waste facility” explains Jessica.
Community Hub
The doors are also always open to the community. The Corp Officers analyze that people feel safe and happy in the environment and are increasingly looking to improve the space for everyone who wants to use the facilities.
According to Nathanael, “We have our drop-in center in the basement, and that really is a community hub. For the downtown core, for people. To really engage in community, we have four pool tables, a foosball table, and air hockey. It is where people eat and rest as well. It’s a sober and safe space. We also have an area specifically for watching movies, Netflix, and TV shows. We find them sleeping there, which is a testament to how safe they feel in our space.”
The drop-in center offers laundry service to guests who need it. It also has showers. For food, there is a coffee canteen counter where confectionery and other goods are sold at a nominal cost. In addition, a fitness room is also available for all the clients.
The location also has a thrift store and according to Jessica, “the recycling ministry is quite significant through the thrift store and a partnership with our drop-in center. We have outreach workers., and a voucher program, if people need assistance with clothing or household goods.”
Physical, mental and spiritual care
The Salvation Army knows that along with assisting with practical needs, the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual needs are also essential to doing well in life.
The building received an innovation grant from last year. “We were able to create this dedicated prayer room space. We realized in our time here in leadership, the need for comprehensive holistic care for people,” explains Jessica.
The purpose of this space was to find a way to intentionally engage in spiritual conversations and provide a calm and relaxed space where people could come if they were in a state of crisis or had deeper questions they wanted to ask or wrestle with. “This space that we created is one that we’re proud of, and we’re really excited about how it can be used to bring hope to individuals,” Nathanael says.
Jessica shares a powerful moment of profound spiritual strength and connection she experienced with a specific client in need. “I engaged with a guest who overdosed the night before and arrived from the hospital in great anxiety. I suggested a shower and clothes from the thrift store. We had breakfast and sat in the prayer room, providing a calm space. She found strength, made a plan to move forward, and I gave her a First Nations version of the scriptures.”
“It is a real testament to this dedicated prayerful space, that the Spirit of God can move in powerful ways,” shared Jessica.
To learn more about the programs and services offered at Williams Lake Corps visit WilliamsLakeSA.ca